1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for determining the position of a first and a second mechanical element relative relative to one another, with a first measurement unit for attachment to the first mechanical element and a second measurement unit for attachment to the second mechanical element, as well as an evaluation unit.
2. Description of Related Art
Such a device can be made, for example, for determining the alignment of two shafts relative relative to one another.
Typically, in these alignment measurement devices, at least one of the two measurement units has a light source for producing a light beam whose incidence point on one or more detectors on the other measurement unit or on a detector on the measurement unit provided with the light source is determined, in the latter case the other measurement unit reflecting back the light beam. Typically, to determine the alignment of the shafts relative relative to one another, the location of the incidence points of the light beam is determined in several rotational angle positions, for which the measurement units are pushed along the peripheral surface or the shafts with the measurement units are turned.
German Patent Application DE 33 20 163 A1 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,491 and German Patent Application DE 39 11 307 A1 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,998 describe shaft alignment measurement devices in which the first measurement unit emits a light beam which is reflected back from a mirror prism of the second measurement unit onto an optical detector of the first measurement unit.
German Patent Application DE 33 35 336 A1 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,855 describes a shaft alignment measurement device in which both the first and also the second measurement unit each emit a light beam and have an optical detector, the light beam being directed at the detector of the other measurement unit, respectively.
German Patent Application DE 8 14 466 A1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,348 B1, discloses a shaft alignment measurement device in which the first measurement unit emits a light beam which is incident on two optical detectors of the second measurement unit which are located in succession in the axial direction.
International Patent Application Publication WO 03/067187 A1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,931,738, discloses a shaft alignment measurement device in which the first measurement unit emits a fan-shaped beam which is incident on two optical detectors of the second measurement unit which are located in succession in the axial direction.
International Patent Application Publication WO 00/28275 A1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 7,042,561, discloses a shaft alignment measurement device in which two measurement units are each attached to a face of the two shafts, the first measurement unit emitting a fan-shaped light beam which strikes three marking pins which are located in one plane of the second measurement device.
European Patent Application EP 0 962 746 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,914 disclose a shaft alignment measurement device in which the first unit has a source for a light beam in a first color, a beam splitter and a color-sensitive CCD detector and the second unit has a source for a light beam in a second color and a color splitter (color-selective beam splitter) which is reflective for the first color and is transmitting for the second color, the light source of the second unit viewed from the first unit being located behind the color splitter and the light source of the first unit viewed from the second unit being located behind the beam splitter. The light beam which has been emitted from the first unit first penetrates the beam splitter of the first unit and is then reflected on the color splitter of the second unit, this reflected beam in turn being reflected on the beam splitter of the first unit in order to reach the detector. The light beam from the second unit first penetrates the color divider of the second unit and is reflected from the beam splitter of the first unit onto the detector,
European Patent Application EP 2 093 537 A1 corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 8,037,615 B2 discloses a shaft alignment measurement device in which the first measurement unit emits a fan-shaped beam which is incident on two optical strip detectors of the second measurement unit which are located laterally parallel relative to one another at a distance, the longitudinal direction of the detectors being located perpendicular to the fan plane of the light beam.
In all of the shaft alignment measurement devices evaluated here, the incidence point of a light beam on a detector surface is determined and evaluated.